Improvement in knitting-machines and knitted fabrics



PATENT OFFICE..

THOMA'SORANE, 0F FORT ATKINSON, WISGONSIN.

Specification forming part `OfLetters Patent No. 9] ,215,'dated June 15, 1869.

CASE B.

To all v'whom it mccy concewn:`

:Be it known that VI, 4'lieroirrlrs GRANE, of Fort Atkinson, in the county of Jefferson and State of Wisconsinf .have invented a new-and Improved Knit Fabric :and Machinery for making the same; rand. I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being vhad 'to' the accompanying drawings making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, Plate 1,. isa view of the improved knit fabric, greatly magnified. Fig. 2, Plate 1,. is a top view of aknitting-machine which isfadapted for producing the: improved fabric. Fig. 3, Plate 2, is .a'vertical cross-section of the improved knitting-machine. Fig.f4., Plate 2, is a bottom view ofthe cam-carriagewhose cams are-adapted `for working the Alongest needles. Fig. 5, Plate 12,.'.isva bottom view of" thefcamcarriage whosefcams are adapted for workingthe shortest needles.

-Similarvletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

Vifllhisinventionconsists vin anew and.` improved machine-knit'fabri'c, which is produced.

by the use of two threads or yarns,an'd`by throwing these two `yarns alternately upon alternate needlesarranged side by .side and parallel .to one another, lso that in making the l'oopsor 4chains every alternateloop -in each 'course o'f'fthe work willhave interwoven with it, and on one side of it, two yarns or threads, thereby producing a Ifabric which is much' skilled inthe art fto understand my improved4 rfabric-"and the manner i of producing it.

\ :In the accompanyingdrawings yI `have represented fa knittingl-machin'e havingy recti-v linearly-reciprocating latch-needles, arranged parallel "to I one another, and operated -so` as to f advance randfreceive the Vya'rn from yarn-car# riersfand then -Arecede far 'enough to castolf- Vthe loops. `Nliiththei-nrceptions of a second- `ary- `cam carriage @and its 'yarn carrier, I.an d

needles of different lengths, the machine `provided with thin plates or jacks c, that eX- tend perpendicularly upward in front fof and above the front straight edge of the needlebed, so as to allow the needles in grooves c to pass forward and. backward between them while knitting. In rear of the row of jack-s c a dovetail groove is made in the needle-bed A, in a direction with the length thereof, into Vwhich groove is inserted a straightbaryE,

which l shall calla gib,7 as it serves fori keeping the needles down vin their grooves c,and also as an elevated support and guide for `reciprocatin-g slides H H. This gib AE also serves as one `of the l.guides for thecamcarriages F M. The extremities of gibiE extend beyond the ends Vof the front portion `of the needle-bedA, .ias'shown in Fig. 2, andrai-eprovided with stop-pins for preventing the yarncarriers and cam-carriages from being casually moved oif :the ends ofthe needle-bed while knitting.

In the back side, and near the upper Aedge of said lgib E, a v:groove is made, whichtis adapted for receiving tongues S, for-medion the Jr'ront edges ofthe two-can1carriages,in the middle of the'length of each. The backledfge of each one of these carriages isrturneddownward and forward, and is fitted tofslidefreely in an' Lshaped slot, l, made inthe upperusurface oft-he needlebed A, andin =rear of the grooves c, ass'hown in Figs. 2and 8. The grooves in the gib and needle-bed extend from end towend ofthe'machinefso that-the cam-carriages can beintrod-u-ced iin their place from either Aend. B'eneaththe upper .horizontal portion of the cam-carriage M are two =.V shaped cams, SS', (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, andin full lines, Fig. 5,) one offw-hi'c-h cams, S',is rigidly fixed to` the carriage,iand the other, S, is pivotedso asito loscillatehorizontally, to allow it to assume two positions for receiving the shanks of the needles. The os cillating cam S has an arm, G2, formed on it, and extending backward through a slot made through the xed cam S', and also through a flaring slot or opening made through the rear portion of the carriage, and to the rear end of this arm handle-pieces G3 are pivoted, which are grasped by the hand of the operator when the carriage and its cam S are to be moved. The set-screw k is applied to a slot made through the arm G2, and serves, in conjunction with the arin g sides of the opening in the carriage M, as a means for adjusting and regulating the length of the loops in knitting, to regulate the tightness of the work. This feature, as well as the construction of the cam-carriage and cams, is fully described and shown in my application filed June 23, 1868. This cam-carriage and its cams are designed for moving the short needles forward and backward at every stroke thereof. The long needles a2, which alternate with the short ones, as shown in Fig. 2, are moved forward and backward by two cams, J J', and a small V-shaped cam, K, which are applied to the cam-carriage F, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 2, and shown in full lines, Fig. 4. This cam-carriage, its cams J J,and the adjusting device k are constructed substantially like those above described, and occupy a position when at rest at the right-hand end of the needle-bed, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to be out of the way of the cam-carriage M when this carriage is moved forward.

The long needles a2 are of an equal length, and of such length that when drawn back to their fullest extent their hooked ends will be in rear of the front edge of the needle-bed or jack-bar, as shown in Fig. 2, into which position these needles will be moved by one wing of the oscillating cam J, when the cam-carriage F is moved toward the left-hand end of the machine. The short needles are all of the same length, and of such length that when moved forward by the cam S on cam-carriage M their hooked ends will pass beneath a latchholder bar, D.

When the cam-carriage M is moved from the left-hand end of the machine to the righthand end thereof, and returned again to its former position, it will have moved the short needles b2 forward and backward twice and knit two courses of work.

During the act of moving the cam-carriage F from the right-hand end of the machine to the left-hand end thereof, the small V-shaped cam K will rst move forward the long needles a* a short distance, when they will be acted upon by the cam J and moved forward to receive the yarn, after which they will be drawn back to the position they first occupied, and in doing so will cast olf the loops last formed. During this movement or left stroke of the cam-carriage F the forward edge of the oscillating cam J will thrust forward the short needle b2, but not far enough to allow their latches to be opened, and so that yarn will be laid across them behind their closed latches.

In the act of moving'the cam-carriage F back again the long needles a? will be moved forward to receive new yarn, then moved backward to cast o' the courseof loops last formed, and finally moved forward again by the small cam K, without opening the latches far enough to allow yarn to be laid across them, back of their latches, by the yarn-carrier of the camcarn'age M, when this carriage is again moved.

In this return stroke of cam-carriage F yarn s will be laid once more across the short needles b2, back of their closed latches. The camcarriage M is next moved toward the righthand end of the machine, during which its yarn-carrier will lay a yarn upon the long needles, back of their closed latches, and at the same time the short needles will recede, draw one yarn through the loops last formed, and cast olf these loops, together with the yarn which was laid across these needles, back of their latches. When the cam-carriage M is returned to the left-hand end of the machine a single yarn from its yarn-carrier will be thrown upon the short needles and drawn through the loops last formed.

It will be seen that the two cam-carriages' are alternatelyr moved from their respective eny ls of the machine to the opposite ends thereof and back again; that the small cam K operates to throw forward the long needles during the right-hand stroke of the carriage F, so that these needles will receive yarn upon them, back of their latches, from the yaru-car- Y rier of the cam-carriage M; and that the osoillatin g cam J operates to throw forward the short needles, so that they will receive yarn upon them, back of their closed latches, from the distributer of the cam-carriage F.

By the alternate operation of the cams of the two carriages, as above described, threads will be laid across the needles, back of theirv latches, and he cast olf into the fabric during the formation of the loops, so that every other loop in each course will receive two crossyarns and one loop of the preceding course.

The camcarriage M is provided with a yarndistributer, consisting of a slide, j', upon the guideway E, an arm, lil'2 a bow tension-spring, I', and friction clampmg-springs g g', constructed and operating as described in my application tiled June 23, 1868, above referred to. The yarn-distributer, which is applied to the cam-carriage F, is constructed and operates like the distributer last named.

In front of the jacks is the serrated workholder C, for holding back the loops upon the needles while the latterare moved forward; and above this work-holder is a bar, D, -beneath which the hooked ends of the needles pass when the needles are moved forward to receive yarn, which barlserves to prevent` the latches of the needles from. being casually thrown forward upon the hooks thereof.

The drawing, Fig. v3, Shows the latchfholdq ing bar D, connected to eccentrics upon a rod, N', by arms h2, which rod is also connected to the work-holder C by arm h, so that by lifting the bar D and swinging it over forward the work-holder G will be moved far enough away from the jacks to allow access to and inspection of the work upon the needles.

A1 are jaws formed upon the needle-bed, and A2 are clamp-screws, for securing the machine to the edge of a table or other object. P P1 P2 represent a device which is hung beneath the work-holder G, and which serves to keep the work distended laterally as it is drawn down by a weight, in the usual wellknown manner.

Fig. lis a highly-magnied portion of the improved fabric which I produce by the use of needles of different lengths and separate cam-carriages for operatin g them. The thread b, which is colored red, will represent that which is distributed by the carrier of the camcarriage M 5 and the thread a, which is colored blue, will represent that which is distributed by the carrier of the cam-carriage F. Follow the red yarn b in the second or complete course, and it will be seen that this yarn is formed into loops, alternating with the blue loops al, and that it crosses every other blue loop. The blue yarn of the third course is also formed into loops al, alternating with the red loops b1, and this blue yarn also crosses the intermediate red loops. 'lhe red yarn of the second course, like the blue yarn, is carried in a zigzag course across the fabric from a red to a blue loop, and vice versa.

By the peculiar movements of the long and short needles two blue yarns are thrown into every other red loop, and two red yarns are thrown into every other blue loop, thus making a double fabric which is very close in its texture, and employing in the operation two distinct threads of the same color, or of different colors.

Having described my improved knit fabric, and one practical mode of producing the same, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A fabric consisting of two separate yarns or threads knit together in the manner substantially as described.

2. The movable needles of diiferent lengths, applied to a knitting-machine, and operated substantially as described.

3. The combination of the two cam-carriages F M, carrying cams which are adapted for operating knitting-needles of different lengths, substantially as described.

THOMAS CRANE. Witnesses:

L. B. OAswELL, H. OGDEN. 

